How To Catch A Scarecrow
by Sonja Schreiber
Summary: Formally 'Two Beds and a Coffee Machine' AU; Amanda, Lee, and Jamie are all in for an adventure of their lives !FINISHED! External Link
1. The End

.:How to Catch a Scarecrow:.  
  
January 23, 2002  
5:36pm  
  
Megan glanced down at her watch for the fourth time   
in twenty minutes. The humidity in the car was   
becoming unbearable. The rain was pounding on the   
windshield and on the roof of the car making that   
continuous tapping sound that will drive anyone   
crazy given enough time. She was still wearing her   
jacket, making the moist heat coming from the hot   
air vent even more uncomfortable.   
  
She stole another look at her watch. twenty-three   
minutes. That was enough! Reaching back and grabbing   
her umbrella from the backseat, she opened the door   
and then slammed it as hard as she could to   
emphasize her impatience to anyone who happened to   
be around. Which, as it turned out, was nobody. Who   
in their right mind hangs out in a cemetery, in the   
dead of winter, besides her husband?  
  
But as she crossed Arlington Cemetery, she saw her   
husband's slumped form, and her selfish anger melted   
away, immediately replaced with an overwhelming need   
to touch him. He stood over the tombstone, oblivious   
to the rest of the world, caught up in his own   
little secret place. She remembered asking him about   
it when they first stared dating. He didn't want to   
talk about it.   
  
She never asked again.  
  
Meagan opened the giant umbrella and tried to cover   
her husband and herself under it. His eyes   
transfixed on slab of rock, and he did not respond.   
Not until she touched his hand did he acknowledge her   
existence with a startled gasp. He looked at her,   
his eyes looking too old and too tired to be those   
of the young 29-year old man she was married to.  
  
"How long have you been standing there?" he asked   
her with true astonishment.  
  
"Just a couple minutes." She replied softly. "You   
seemed a million miles away just then. Are you OK?"  
  
His eyes wandered back to name on the stone, and she   
could barely hear his whispered reply over the rain   
hitting the umbrella.   
  
"More like a million years."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Nothing. I'm fine. Let's go." He turned to leave,   
but stopped when something grabbed his coat-sleeve.  
  
"No, James." The tears in his wife's eyes finally   
brought the young man back to reality. Her voice   
remained steady and strong, though he could tell she   
wanted nothing more than to break down and cry. Her  
warm breath and hot tears were steaming in the cold,  
winter weather.  
  
"This has gone on for far too long. I knew you had   
a...a secret from the day I met you. And I knew that,   
even though you were keeping something from me, I   
wanted to be with you, because I loved you. But you   
can't keep coming here every year and not tell me   
why! I don't think I can take it any more. I need to   
know what you're thinking, what you're feeling.   
That's how a marriage works. Please..." she pleaded,   
"just tell me what happened."  
  
He gave her a tired, almost sad smile, and reached   
up to stroke her tear-stained cheek. She reached up   
to touch his hand, then moved her head to kiss the   
palm of his hand.  
  
James took a step forward and took her into his   
arms, burring his face into her soft, auburn hair.   
His voice tickled her ear, but there was no desire   
to laugh at the sensation.  
  
"I'm sorry. You're right. I'm so sorry. I just...  
I've never told anyone."  
  
"You can tell me. You know you can tell me anything,   
and I'll still love you."  
  
He peeled himself away from their embrace and took   
her by the hand and walked back to the car.   
  
As they got in and drove off, the sun poked his   
head out between the drained clouds. 


	2. Good Morning, Amanda

.:How to Catch a Scarecrow:.  
  
October 14, 1985  
7:04am  
  
From the moment she woke up this morning, Amanda McGuire   
knew it wasn't going to be a good day. With every step   
she took, she was reminded of her sprained ankle. The   
pain would shoot up her left leg and up her spine, and   
made her head hurt. When she finally made it to the   
medicine cabinet in the bathroom, she was ready for the   
Tylenol that were waiting for her in the beautiful white   
bottle.   
  
Standing in the shower and supporting herself on her   
good leg proved to be trickier than she had first   
thought. The shampoo and soap made it so slippery, that   
every time she moved, she would nearly loose her   
balance. Unfortunately, by the time she got the hang of   
it, she was done with her shower and needed to get out.   
And walk.   
  
She limped back into the bedroom as quietly as possible,   
trying not to wake her sleeping husband in the   
queen-sized bed. She looked at her watch to make sure   
she still had time to get downstairs before Philip and   
Jamie left for school. She grabbed her purse and hopped   
down the stairs as softly as possible without waking   
Dean. 'Can't wake Dead. Don't wake Dean. Can't wake   
Dean…' she repeated the mantra over and over in her   
head, trying not to make any noise.   
  
By 7:45 the boys were out the door with their lunches in   
their packs. Five minutes later, Amanda left for work,   
making sure to leave something for Dean to eat after he   
woke up.   
  
  
8:30am  
  
When she entered the building, she expected walk into   
the Q-bureau and to see Lee seated at his desk or in the   
vault, ready with their next case.   
  
Halfway up the stairs, Dr. Faust stopped Amanda on her   
way down. Stephanie Faust was the new doctor at the   
Agency. She was five-foot-five, had auburn haired, and   
was a widow of five years. As Amanda turned to greet the   
woman, she dawned on her cheerful face, despite the fact   
the effects of the painkillers were wearing off.   
  
"Amanda! I was just looking for you! I was wondering if   
you were coming to the …Amanda, are you ok?" Dr. Faust   
was suddenly struck by how odd Amanda was hobbling   
around. "What happened to your leg?"  
  
"Oh, just fine. I just tripped on a chair last night. It   
was stupid really; I wasn't paying attention, and there   
was this chair that Jamie had tipped over, and I didn't   
notice it and, I tripped…" 'don't ramble, don't   
ramble,…'  
  
"Oh. Do you want me to look at it? Lee was just asking   
me to talk to you. He's says you haven't been looking to   
well lately." The true concern in her voice almost made   
Amanda give in, but she couldn't let people know.  
  
"I'm just tired. I've been working lots overtime   
lately." 'Half-truths are better than nothing.'   
"I…uh…better get to work. Bye." Amanda turned to limped   
up the stairs, not looking back at the young doctor. As   
she entered the office, she was greeted by a   
not-so-happy-Lee, muttering over a file at his desk.   
  
"Good morning, Lee!" Amanda tried to greet him with her   
dazzling Amanda-smile, but today, Lee just found it   
annoying. He looked up from the file and a look of   
disappointment mixed with agitation crossed his face,   
making his forehead crinkle.   
  
"What the hell happened to you?" his question took   
Amanda by surprise, and she knew to tread carefully.   
'Lee is having a bad day. When Dean has a bad day you   
don't bother him. Don't bother Lee, don't bother Lee…'  
  
"I fell over Philip's skateboard last night. No matter   
how many times I tell them to clean up, they just never   
seem to learn. They have been doing a lot better lately,   
but last night, I guess, they…" the look of utter apathy   
on her partner's face shut her up and wiped the faked   
smile off her face. 'don't bother Lee, don't bother   
Lee,…'  
  
"We were supposed to be in the field today, Amanda.   
You've been complaining all week about doing paper work   
all the time…"  
  
"I wasn't complaining" he ignored her protest and kept   
going.  
  
"…and now that we can actually get out of this stuffy   
old office, you have a injury. We've been looking   
forward to getting back out there for weeks. You're   
killing me here, Amanda." He paused, giving out an   
exasperated sigh. Then, without ever looking at her   
crushed face, he picked up the phone, and spoke in a   
calmer voice, "I'll call Billy and tell him you can't be   
part of the task force."  
  
"Lee, I can help. Even if I can't physically help, I can   
at least…"  
  
"No. Billy said we could only have this chance if   
we…yeah, Melrose please. Yeah, I'll hold…anyway, if we   
able to help chase down the suspect. This guy has been   
stalking Senator McAllister's daughter for a month."  
  
"I know, I know. Please, let me help Lee. I've been   
working on this as much as you have…"  
  
"No! Billy doesn't need you to mess…Billy. Amanda can't   
be on the task force…she has a bad leg…yes, I'm   
sure…Beaman!…Billy…no…fine…bye."   
  
Lee sat there with a pout on his face, feeling very   
sorry for him self. He hated Beaman. Instead of Amanda,   
he was going to be stuck with the annoying little   
pipsqueak all day. He finally looked up to where she was   
still standing since she came in.   
  
"Francine will be up and help you with…whatever. See you   
later." He jumped up, crabbed his jacket and was out the   
door.  
  
Amanda looked at her watch again. It was only 8:50 in   
the morning. 


	3. Good Night, Amanda

.:How to Catch a Scarecrow:.  
  
Rated: R for Language and Violence  
  
  
Amanda was remained in the Q-Bureau all day with Francine   
assigning her mountains of paperwork to correct and file,   
allowing her only a half hour for lunch. When Amanda had   
returned from lunch, Francine had left, leaving Fred Fielding   
in charge of giving Amanda work. But all he wanted to do was   
badmouth Lee and try to flirt with Amanda.  
  
"Why did you marry Dean, Amanda? He's such a bore. I bet you   
would be much happier married to someone like, oh let's say   
for example,...ME!" Fred looked at Amanda with an evil glint   
in his eye, making her feel incredibly uncomfortable.   
  
"Fred, I realize you're just trying to be cute or funny, or   
something else you're not," she pleaded in an exasperated   
voice, trying to concentrate on her work "but I am a happily   
married woman. So please, leave me alone." She did not need   
this right now.   
  
"Yeah, right. Whatever you say." He went back to his work, but   
looked up every few minutes to make another snide comment   
about the lack of adequate male companionship in her life.  
  
Nine o'clock rolled around and Amanda was still nowhere near   
done. Fred had left two hours ago leaving her alone to finish   
up. But she decided to call it a day anyway. She placed the   
files in the vault, shut down the computer and picked up her   
coat to leave. Just then, the door slammed open hitting the   
wall behind it so hard, Amanda could have sworn it would   
break. Lee came storming in, wearing what was at least left of   
his suit. The sleeves were torn, the right pant leg had been   
ripped off, and the remains of his tie hung loosely around his   
neck. As he stepped into the light, Amanda could see cuts and   
bruises all over his body.  
  
"Where do you think you're going?" he bellowed out before she   
could voice her concern for him.  
  
"I was just leaving. Are you OK? What happened?" she asked   
with concern, walking towards him to see if he needed help.  
  
Ignoring her question, he walked past her to his desk and   
turned the computer on again. "Come on, I need you to write up   
the report so I can give it to Billy."  
  
"Lee, I really need to get home. It's already nine. Dean's   
expecting me…"  
  
"FINE! GO!" He yelled, interrupting her, "I can do this on my   
own!" he yelled, sitting himself in front of the evil square   
box that hated him so much, commonly known as a computer.  
  
More shocked by his tone than anything else, Amanda picked up   
her purse and car keys and left.  
  
.:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:  
  
Amanda plopped herself on the sofa. 'Gosh, does my head hurt'   
she began to rub her temples in a circular motion, trying to   
ease the tension. After a few relaxing minutes she went   
upstairs to check on the boys. They were both sleeping soundly   
in their beds. She was so proud of her boys. They've had to   
adjust to so much in the last few months. After she married   
Dean she thought she could spend more time with them, and not   
so much time at work. When Dotty decided to move to Florida,   
she felt like part of herself had left her. She missed her   
mother terribly, even more than ever for the last few months.   
  
She leaned over and kissed each of her boys on the forehead   
and left their room, making sure the door was closed. As she   
began walking to the bedroom, she heard the front door being   
ripped open and then slammed shut.  
  
Dean was home.   
  
She quietly started down the stairs to talk with her husband.  
  
"Hi, sweetheart." she said in a soothing voice, knowing   
something bad must have happened at his third job interview   
this month. He turned around and looked at her with a hard,   
cold stare.  
  
"Don't you 'Hi, sweetheart' me! I saw you just come in a few   
minutes ago. Where were you all night?" he demanded in a very   
slurred voice, waving a whisky bottle around, obviously   
finding the task of standing upright without falling over very   
difficult.  
  
"I was at work! Where did you think I was?" she hissed   
defensively, trying not to wake the boys. 'don't make him mad,   
don't make him mad…'  
  
"Liar! I bet you were out all day with that bastard, Stetson,   
weren't you?"  
  
"I'll have you know that I was working at a stupid desk all   
day, because of my hurt ankle that you are responsible for!"   
she started losing control. How dare he? How dare he do this   
to her? He had no right.  
  
"You tripped over a chair!" he yelled loudly, losing his   
balance and nearly falling to the floor.  
  
"Keep your voice down!" Amanda whispered as threateningly as   
she could.  
  
"Don't tell me what to do! I'm the man of the house now, and   
what I say goes. If I say you tripped over a chair, you   
tripped over a chair. If I want to yell, I'll yell as fucking   
loud as I want to."  
  
"Don't you dare use that kind of language in my house!"  
  
"Don't you dare use that kind of language in my house!" he   
mimicked in a high-pitched voice. "Listen here, this is my   
house now!" He emphasized his last words by slamming his   
bottle on the kitchen table, shattering it and causing a stray   
piece of the broken glass to slice into his hand. Sucking in   
his breath in pain, he quickly covered the wound with his free   
hand.  
  
"Dean, are you all right?" she asked, genuinely concerned,   
reaching for her husband's blood covered hands.  
  
"Of course I'm not all right! I think I need stitches! Damn   
it!" he shouted.  
  
"Here, let me see it," she offered, and began cleaning the cut   
with a rag. She could smell the alcohol on his breath. He   
seemed to have calmed down a bit, when she started to pulled   
out the piece of glass that was firmly dug beneath the skin.   
  
"Aaw! You little bitch! What are you trying to do, kill me?"   
He pulled his hand back, her hand still tightly fastened   
around the piece of glass. This caused the cut to go even   
deeper, and rip the wound even farther open.  
  
"Aaah! You did that on purpose!" he spat. Raising his good   
left hand, he swung at her, barely missing her face as she   
jumped back as fast as she could. But she didn't notice the   
stair behind her until she had fallen on the floor.  
  
Amanda had only temporarily escaped Dean's violent outburst.   
She tried to get up, but the fear and panic building in her   
caused her to stumble, giving Dean enough time to reach her.   
Grabbing her by her hair as she tried to stand up, he dragged   
her to the living room and thrust her onto the sofa.  
  
She tried to stand up, but her feet had barely touched the   
floor when his fist found her stomach. She doubled over,   
hugging her abdomen, suppressing a scream. Before she had any   
time to recover from the blow, she felt a sharp sting across   
her face.  
  
The sudden slap had been the push she needed to let out a   
painful scream. Falling to the sofa again, she began rubbing   
her stomach and cheek. Forgetting about his cuts, he used both   
his hands to pick Amanda up by her collar and throw her   
head-first against the wall, forcing another scream from   
Amanda.  
  
"Dean, stop it!" she pleaded through her tears. "You'll wake   
the boys!"  
  
"I don't give a damn!" he yelled, picking up her slumped form,   
which had fallen to the ground. He violently jerked both her   
wrists above her head, holding them there with his bloody   
hand.  
  
This time he pinned her against the wall and roughly covered   
her mouth with his, trying to kiss her. His free hand angrily   
began roaming her body, ripping her blouse open. She struggled   
to escape his grasp, but his hold was too strong. When his   
lips started biting their way down her neck, she gathered all   
her the strength left in her, and brought her right knee up   
to his groin.  
  
Now it was his turn to double over in pain. Amanda found the   
power to shove him away and escape his angry grasp. Grabbing   
the nearest thing she could find, Amanda brought a lamp down   
onto his head as hard as she could. In his drunken state, he   
was out cold after the hard blow.  
  
Letting out a sigh of relief, Amanda slumped against the wall.   
When her breath had finally evened out, she quietly limped   
upstairs to check on the boys. After closing up what was left   
of her shirt, she walked into their bedroom, and saw that   
Jamie was still fast asleep. When she looked at Philip's bed,   
it was empty.  
  
"Philip?" she whispered into the dark. "Philip, honey? Where   
are you?"  
  
"In here," came a soft voice from the closet. Philip emerged   
with a look of fear and horror on his face, clutching a   
baseball bat tightly in his hands.  
  
"Oh, sweetheart, come here." She walked over to her older son   
and gave him a soft hug. At that moment, Amanda knew there was   
no way she was going to have her sons stay in the same house   
as the man lying unconscious on her living room floor.   
"Philip, why don't get you get dressed and pack a few things   
up in a bag?"  
  
He simply nodded and began to dress with out question. Amanda   
hobbled over to Jamie's bed and lightly touched his shoulder.   
"Jamie. Jamie, wake up. You have to get up now."  
  
Jamie opened his sleep-laden eyes slowly, but quickly focused   
on his mom's cheek. Even in the dimly lit room, he could see   
the bruises on her face. "Did he hit you again?" he asked in   
an angry whisper.  
  
"Sweetheart, we're leaving soon, and I want you to get packed   
and dressed. Ok?"  
  
After a slight hesitation, he nodded in agreement and got out   
of bed. Amanda left the room to get her own stuff packed up,   
and to try to figure out what to do. 


	4. Good Bye, Amanda

.:How to Catch a Scarecrow:.  
  
  
  
Amanda kept vigil at the bedroom door as Jamie and Philip   
finished gathering up their things. She had never seen   
them so quiet. When they had finished finding and packing   
everything they might need, she went down stairs first,   
just to make sure Dean was still unconscious. Seeing his   
still form on the floor, she took a chance and led the   
boys out the front door. In her rush to get in the station   
wagon, she realized she had forgotten to grab her car-keys   
and purse. She was going to have to go back into the   
house.  
  
Philip and Jamie were already in the back seat, anxiously   
waiting for Amanda to get in. Jamie's door was still open,   
so she walked over and pocked her head in to talk to them.  
  
"I'll back in a minute. I promise. I just forgot my keys,   
OK? Buckle up so you're ready to go when I come back."   
Amanda smiled wearily and braved her way back to the   
house.  
  
Her purse was on the sofa where she had left it earlier   
that night. She made her way through the living room,   
trying not to trip on anything. The sofa was within arms   
reach. With Dean's body lying between her and hope.   
Careful not to make any noise, she slowly made her way   
around Dean, the coffee table and slowly reached out for   
it.   
  
For a second she could have sworn the body moved, but   
after freezing dead in her tracks and watching him for a   
few seconds, she blamed it on her paranoia.   
  
  
She lifted the purse cautiously, still not trusting   
herself or the figure on the floor. She clutched her bag   
to her chest, afraid to let go of it. She stepped lightly   
around the room, never making a sound. She rushed as fast   
as she could on her bad leg out the front door, not even   
bothering to lock it.   
  
She scrambled to the car as fast as was humanly possible.   
She fumbled for the keys, barely managing to get them out   
of her purse and into the ignition. By some miracle, the   
station wagon started up, and Amanda drove into the night.   
  
.:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*  
  
The motel was about an hour and a half drive from   
Arlington. She wasn't exactly sure where she was going   
until she saw a vacancy sign over a building that didn't   
look like the meeting place for prostitutes and drug   
dealers. She pulled into the parking lot, then, after   
making sure the boys were asleep, locked all the doors.   
  
After checking in under an phony, she brought Philip and   
Jamie into the motel. The room was small, but was enough   
for the three of them for one night. There were two beds   
with a little table sitting between them, a dresser and a   
closet in the wall. Amanda caught sight of herself in the   
mirror.   
  
What she saw send a shiver down her spine. Several buttons   
on her blouse were either missing or useless. A black and   
purple bruise spread across her face, four finger-shapes   
streaking to her ear. His fingers.  
  
After Philip and Jamie were safely tucked into one of the   
two beds that occupied the small room, Amanda sat on the   
second bed and began to think.  
  
'What am I going to do?' she thought, trying not to cry.   
'What can I do? I am alone in the middle of nowhere. I   
have to do something. There is no way I'm ever going back   
to Dean, but where else is there? Mother lives in Miami   
now. I don't want to worry her. What am I going to do?'   
she asked herself again.  
  
Not knowing what else to do, she bowed her head and laced   
her fingers and did something she had not done since she   
was a little girl. She prayed to God.  
  
"Our Father Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. I   
pray you help me. Father, I am at a loss. I need your   
guidance right now. Please, help me get out of this. I   
want to see my boys grow up safely. Lord, who can help me?   
I don't know what to do. I'm so frightened. Please, help   
me…"  
  
Amanda finally fell asleep, her hands still tightly   
folded.   
  
.:*:.She was being chased. Though she couldn't see   
anything through the solid blackness, she knew she was   
being followed. Amanda could feel the presence right   
behind her.   
  
The faster that Amanda ran, the more she felt her pursuer.   
When she was sure she wasn't able to run any more, she was   
knocked down by something in front of her. Scrambling to   
her feet, she hid behind it, trying to protect herself.   
  
For half a second nothing could be heard but Amanda's   
heart trying to escape her chest. Then, out of the   
darkness, three shots were fired in Amanda's direction.   
The wall fell to the ground, and suddenly, everything was   
bathed in light. The "wall", a man with his face covered   
by his arm, lay limp on the ground.   
  
She turned the body over, revealing Lee's pale face.   
Amanda looked up to catch a glimpse of their attacker,   
only to see Jamie huddled in a little ball, a gun held   
loosely in his small hand.:*:.  
  
Amanda woke up, bathed in sweat. Her first thought was of   
Jamie. When she saw him sleeping safely in bed, she knew   
who to call.  
  
"Lee," she whispered into the darkness of the room. She   
turned to the nightstand, picked up the phone receiver   
from its cradle, and automatically started punching in his   
number from memory. After four rings, a sleepy and grumpy   
Lee Stetson answered the phone.  
  
.:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*  
  
Lee was having a bad night. He rolled over on his stomach   
for the third time that night. After being dumped by his   
girlfriend of one week, Stacy, he spent the rest of the   
week sulking, making sure everything bugged him. When   
Amanda walked in with her chipper self, he thought he   
might get out of the slump and get out of the stupid   
office. Instead, he got mad at her for having a sprained   
ankle. 'Stupid, stupid, stupid. How could I do that to   
her?' After a half hour of being chewed out by Billy for   
not letting Amanda join the task force, the mission blew   
up in his face. Literally.   
  
Lee had seen the suspect and had followed him, only to be   
surprised from behind. After beating the daylights out of   
him, the man left Lee in an alley. The suspect ran into an   
abandoned warehouse followed by ten agents in hot pursuit   
only moments before the building exploded. One agent was   
dead, four were in critical condition.   
  
"god, I'm so stupid." He though he had finally gotten   
comfortable and was dozing off, when the phone woke him   
from his peace.  
  
"Whoever this is, you better have damn good reason for   
calling at this time of night."  
  
"Lee, It's Amanda."  
  
"Amanda? What are you doing calling this early?"   
  
"I need your help," she pleaded, trying unsuccessfully to   
hold back her tears.  
  
"Are you ok? Look if this is about tonight, I'm really   
sorry. I had just had a really bad night, and I wanted to   
go home and sleep. I didn't mean to take my anger out on   
you. I'm really, really sorry," he repeated, feeling like   
he was responsible for her tears.  
  
"Lee. This has nothing to do with anything you said   
tonight. Do you think you can come out to Hartwood? It's   
about five miles from exit 133 on I95."  
  
"Sure. What are you doing there?"  
  
"I'll tell you when you get here. We're in room 12 of the   
Highway Inn."  
  
"We?" he asked, getting worried.  
  
"Me and Philip and Jamie. Please hurry," she urged   
desperately.  
  
"Fine, fine. Look, why don't you call my car phone in a   
few minutes and we can talk then."  
  
Ten minutes later, Lee was driving and listening to   
Amanda.  
  
"I really don't think this is the kind of thing I should   
tell you over the phone" she told him, worried that he   
might go over to the house and kill Dean.  
  
"Amanda, I really think you should tell me now. Are you in   
trouble? I need to at least know that you're all right."  
  
Amanda was silent for what seemed to be a lifetime before   
she answered his questions. "No. No, I'm not all right,"   
she sobbed into the phone. "This has been one of the worst   
nights of my life. He wouldn't stop. I asked him to and I   
tried to get away, but he was too strong…"  
  
"Oh God, Amanda! Who did what to you!?" he almost shouted,   
horrified by her sobs and words. "Amanda, *WHO* hurt you?   
I swear I'll kill him. Where is he?"  
  
"Lee! Please, I don't know what to do. I just packed up   
the kids in the car and left. I have no place to go. Just   
come. I'll tell you later,"  
  
His voice was strained and full of emotion. In the   
background, Amanda could hear his car speed up. "Did he   
try to…I mean…whoever it was …did he try to rape you" He   
took a deep breath.   
  
"He tried, but I kicked him in the groin and hit him over   
the head with a lamp before he got too far."  
  
Lee let out a small sight of relief. How could anyone want   
to hurt Amanda? She was the kindest, sweetest person he   
had ever known. He still felt like a complete jerk for   
treating her like he did. She was a wonderful woman. How   
could anyone hurt her?  
  
"Amanda, what happened?"  
  
"He was just angry that I got home so late…"  
  
"Dean? Was it Dean? Your husband…he…"  
  
"He thought I had been out all night with…another man.   
Everything would have been fine if I hadn't tried to yank   
that piece of bottle out of hand so fast…"  
  
"He was drinking?" Lee interrupted again, horrified. He   
was painfully aware of what a man was capable of when he   
was drunk.  
  
"A little. A lot. It all happened so fast."  
  
"Oh, Amanda." 


	5. Enter Lee

.:How to Catch a Scarecrow:.  
  
  
  
The room was dimly lit by the full moon that hung brightly   
in the midnight sky. The only occupant of the still little   
house in Arlington was a unconscious figure lying sprawled   
across the living room floor, his hand and head covered   
with dry blood. A slight moan gave away that the man was   
coming to. His hand slowly moved to touch his head, then   
jerked it away, flinching at the pain he had just caused   
himself. Lifting his head up cautiously, he took in his   
surroundings.   
  
Still in a daze, his vision was foggy and unfocused.   
Slowly, his eyes adjusted to the lack of light. Crawling   
onto the sofa, he tried to remember what had caused his   
injuries. His head felt like it was being jabbed with the   
small end of a hammer. Hangover. OK, he had been drinking.   
The bottle. He shattered the bottle on the table and his   
hand had gotten cut. He noted the broken lamp on the floor   
near where he had been lying. The bloody lump on his head   
evidence that the lamp had been used on him.   
  
Amanda. She did this. Bitch. Dean didn't understand her.   
He was trying his best to find a job. All she could do was   
complain. Was it his fault he couldn't find a job? Amanda   
was making plenty of money. She was always working   
over-time and going on business trips.   
  
'Over-time my ass. She's probably screwing that ass-hole   
boss of hers.'   
  
Dean knew he sure wasn't being faithful to his wife. The   
unemployment checks he was getting were all being spent at   
strip clubs buying 'refreshments' and interactive   
'entertainment' from the waitresses.  
  
Amanda. Where the hell was she anyway? Ignoring all the   
pain in his body, he stood up and started searching the   
house for her. But as he went from room to room, he   
realized she had taken off and dragged Philip and Jamie   
along with her.   
  
Damn it! He felt like shit. He was tired, his hangover was   
still pounding in his skull, and the blood loss from his   
hand and head were making him dizzy. Sleep. That's what he   
needed. Somehow he found his bed. He'd care about Amanda   
later. Slowly, she slipped from his mind as he once again   
fell into a unconscious sleep.  
  
:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:  
  
The door of the motel room opened a crack and a pair of   
terrified eyes peered out. Recognizing the visitor, Amanda   
closed the door to remove the chain and reopened the door.   
She flung her arms around Lee's neck and held him tightly.   
He felt her tears soaking his shoulder.  
  
He returned the hug softly, not knowing how badly she was   
hurt. Swaying back and forth murmuring soft words of   
encouragement, he held her for a few moments before   
pulling back to look at her. . He noticed a hand-shaped   
bruise had formed on her cheek. Some blood had dried on   
her cut lip  
  
"Amanda, why don't we go talk somewhere more private?" he   
asked, glancing in the boys' direction. Wrapping his arm   
around her waist, he helped her walk and led her outside.   
They walked in silence to the Corvette. He could tell she   
was limping even worse than she had been at the office. He   
protectively pulled her closer.  
  
Reaching the 'Vette, he opened the door for her. Finally   
settling down in the soft seat, she let out a small breath   
as she thought about where to start.  
  
For a brief moment, Amanda was struck by how brightly the   
moon illuminated the sky. It had been hidden by clouds all   
night and had just decided to show it self a few minutes   
ago. The pitch-black night, for just a few moments, was   
bathed in light, reminding Amanda of her dream, sending   
another chill down her spine.   
  
The sound of Lee slamming the car door brought Amanda out   
of her reverie. She faced away from him, subconsciously,   
looking for the moon, which had again hidden it self   
behind the clouds. Feeling his eyes on her, she knew she   
had to face him sooner or later, and the latter seemed a   
little ridiculous at the moment.   
  
"Are you ok? I mean, do you need a doctor?" He was acting   
very nervous, not sure how to handle this kind of   
situation.   
  
"I don't need a doctor. I don't think."   
  
After thinking over the situation, Lee finally broke the   
silence. "It was Dean, wasn't it?"  
  
Amanda nodded.  
  
"Was this the first time?"  
  
She shook her head, no.  
  
"How long has this been going on?" he whispered, having a   
hard time containing his burning anger towards the man   
responsible for her pain and towards himself.  
  
"Three months."  
  
Those two little words alone were enough for Lee. He   
grabbed the door handle in frustration and clenched his   
teeth, not sure if he could handle the information Amanda   
was about to share with him.   
  
"Dean lost his job six months ago. At first he would lose   
his temper and yell a lot. He had a hard time getting job   
interviews. There isn't much demand for a meteorologist in   
DC lately." She let out a small laugh, trying to make this   
situation a little lighter, but not succeeding.   
  
"Every night he got louder and angrier. One day three   
months ago, he went out job hunting and he didn't come   
home. I fell asleep on the sofa waiting for him. Around   
two in the morning he came home as drunk as a skunk."   
Amanda took a small break from her rambling to get ready   
for what she was about to say next. She lifted her hand   
and subconsciously began rubbing her shoulder.  
  
"He wasn't thinking clearly. He insisted that my having a   
job made him feel inferior and nervous, and that is why he   
was doing so awful at the interviews. He would rant and   
rave about why I should quit my job. Then, somehow he got   
the idea that the only reason I didn't want to quit   
was…was…" she trailed off, not sure if she should   
continue.  
  
"What, Amanda?" he urged.  
  
"You." Lee arched his eyebrows in confusion. "He thought   
you and I were having an affair," she explained.  
  
"Of course I denied it. But that only fueled his rage.   
Before I knew it he…he hit me across the chest and   
shoulder. I had to wear turtle necks for a few days to   
cover the bruise." The last part of her sentence was   
almost inaudible, but Lee heard every word. "He was so   
apologetic though. He swore it would never happen again. I   
believed him, too. Two nights later he hit me again. He   
promised he would never do it again, but I knew he would.  
  
"I convinced myself he would stop once he got a job. But   
as the weeks went by, he stopped looking. He would go out   
and get drunk during the day, and come home and use me as   
a punching bag at night."  
  
Lee's couldn't feel his heart beating, but he could feel   
it falling to his stomach. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"  
  
Amanda's eyes started to glisten with tears she refused to   
shed. "I was scared. I didn't have any proof. I never had   
any breaks, fractures or permanent bruises. And he said if   
I told anyone, he would hunt me down and hurt the boys and   
me."  
  
"Amanda, you should have come to me. I could've protected   
you." He felt a little hurt that she hadn't.  
  
Suddenly her eyes looked distant and she faced away from   
him, and out the front window. "The way you've been   
treating me lately, I'd have been surprised if you had   
even cared." She felt guilty saying that, but it was true.   
What Dean had been doing to her physically, Lee had been   
doing to her verbally.  
  
Lee's hold tightened around the door handle. It was true.   
He had been acting like a bastard. He hadn't been treating   
her with any respect. Why? He suddenly felt no   
justification for it, even though he had just a few hours   
ago.  
  
"Amanda, I know I have no excuse for treating you the way   
I have been. If I could take it all back, I would in a   
heartbeat. You have to believe me." He pleaded, searching   
her face for a sign of forgiveness.  
  
Slowly, she turned her head and stared down at his right   
hand, which was resting between the two car seats. She   
tenderly lifted her own shaking hand and clasped it softly   
on over his. Her eyes raised to meet his, and she let out   
a small sigh.   
  
"I know you would."  
  
They sat there for a few seconds, just holding hands and   
looking into each other's eyes. The tender moment was   
broken when Amanda reclaimed her hand to stifle a yawn.   
Lee let his own hand slide back to rest in his lap.  
  
"Maybe you should go back to the room and catch some   
sleep. You need your sleep after…" he trailed off, not   
wanting to finish his sentence.  
  
Amanda nodded in agreement. He gently helped her out of   
the car," not wanting to cause her more pain from her   
injuries. As Lee led Amanda back to the room, he focused   
all his attention on her, like the wonderfully doting   
friend he was. Unfortunately, Scarecrow the spy, was   
concentrating on Amanda, too, and didn't notice the man   
sitting in a black Mercedes watching their every move,   
taking pictures of them as they walked to the motel room.  
  
Lee carefully helped Amanda get into bed, took off her   
shoes, and covered her with the sheet. He gently ran his   
fingertips through her soft brown hair. Kneeling by her   
bedside, he leaned over and placed a light butterfly kiss   
on the tip of her nose and watched her slowly drift off.   
When he thought she was asleep, he shifted into a more   
comfortable position. Opening her eyes in panic, making   
sure he was still there. When she saw him, she closed her   
eyes again and settled down before mumbling sleepily.   
  
"Don't leave tonight, 'K?"  
  
Lee smiled and lifted her hand to his lips to kiss her   
fingertips. "I'll never leave you, Amanda."   
  
His reply and kisses were rewarded with a satisfied smile   
from this sleeping beauty. Soon she had drifted off . Lee   
sat by her side for a few minutes, just content knowing   
she was safe. He occasionally glanced at the other bed   
behind him to make sure the boys were also asleep and   
safe.  
  
For now.  
  
But what about tomorrow? What would Dean do? Where could   
Amanda be safe? These questions plagued his mind the rest   
of the night. He vowed to give his all in taking care of   
her, and he'd make sure the Agency did all it was capable   
of as well.  
  
'Dean sure as hell won't touch Amanda, ever again.' That   
was his last conscious thought before he drifted into a   
fitful and dreamless sleep. 


	6. The Plot Thickens

.:How To Catch a Scarecrow:.  
  
  
A shrill ringing awakened Dean out of his   
alcohol-induced sleep. As he slowly recognized his   
surroundings, he crawled from the foot of the bed,   
where he had been sleeping, to the nightstand where   
the phone was ringing off the hook. The repugnant   
taste of too many cigarettes and too much booze   
plagued his mouth with bitter fuzz. His hangover had   
not yet subsided, and his right leg had fallen   
asleep because of his sleeping position. All this,   
plus the fact that his wife had run away after   
hitting him over the head with a lamp was enough to   
make this qualify as a bad morning. Grabbing the   
receiver from its cradle, he barked into the phone.   
He was in no mood for being polite as he ripped the   
phone from the hook.  
  
"Yeah! What the hell do you want?"  
  
"Now is that any way to talk to the man who can make   
you rich, Mr. McGuire? Or will I have to take my   
offer somewhere else?" The voice echoed cavernously   
and had a heavy Russian accent.  
  
"What? Who is this?!" Dean demanded.  
  
"That is not important! I'll be the one making   
demands around from now on. If you keep provoking   
me, I'll be forced to take my deal elsewhere." The   
speaker left no room for argument.  
  
"How much?" Dean asked, always interested in quick   
cash.  
  
"Two million dollars."  
  
Dean's eyes almost popped out with amazement.   
"T-t-t-two m-m-mil-million AMERICAN dollars  
  
"Yes, McGuire. But if you want that money, then you   
must do exactly as we require."   
  
"What do I do?" He asked eagerly. Dean didn't care   
what the man wanted; for that kind of money, he'd do   
just about anything.  
  
"Very good. In exactly one hour, a black limousine   
will arrive in front of your house. Go with them   
willingly. Do as they ask and don't ask questions.   
They will give you your assignment. Complete the   
task, and you will get your two million." Dean could   
hear the Russian's smug voice hide a chuckle   
  
"An hour?" he asked, getting a little suspicious.  
  
Without answering, the man hung up, leaving a   
confused but intrigued Dean to get ready for his   
rendezvous.  
  
:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*  
  
A small hand nudging her shoulder woke Amanda up.   
Shaking herself out of the first pleasant dream   
she'd had in weeks, she looked up into her youngest   
son's terrified eyes.  
  
"Sweetheart, what is it? Are you all right?" she   
asked Jamie with concern, trying to rug the sleep   
from her eyes.  
  
"There's a strange man sleeping on the floor," he   
whispered in her ear, afraid that the strange man   
would hear him and wake up.  
  
Amanda turned her head to look at the man Jamie was   
referring to, sleeping between the two beds. She   
smiled and looked back at her son, standing next to   
her bed.  
  
"Jamie, he's a friend whom I trust. He's going to   
help us be safe from Dean. His name's Lee."  
  
The young boy suspiciously eyed the sleeping Lee.  
  
"He won't hurt you, will he? I mean, he won't leave   
us like Dad or hit you like Dean?"   
  
Amanda shook her head. "No, of course he won't,   
honey."  
  
"Why didn't you marry him, then?" Jamie asked   
innocently.  
  
Amanda glanced up at her son, surprised by what he   
had just said. She let out a small laugh, shaking   
her head in bemusement "I don't know, Jamie. I   
really don't know."  
  
:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*  
  
Eight o'clock found Dean McGuire waiting on the   
sidewalk in front of his house. He'd showered,   
shaved, and bandaged the cuts on his hand, managing   
to make himself reasonably presentable.  
  
Just as promised, a black limo pulled up to the   
Arlington home. The driver's door opened, and a man   
in a dark gray suit and sunglasses stepped out. The   
well-dressed man came around the car to open the   
back door and looked up at Dean, waiting for him to   
get in. When Dean figured out what he was supposed   
to do, he hesitantly stepped into the car. Inside,   
he found a similarly dressed man, also wearing   
sunglasses. Separated from the driver by a closed,   
darkened window, Dean and his soon-to-be business   
associate sat alone in silence. Dean's eyes   
nervously shot around the limo, not knowing what to   
expect.  
  
When the car began moving, his companion, never   
moving his head, began talking in the same accent as   
the man on the phone.  
  
"Mr. McGuire, my name is Vladimir. We require your   
services. We wish you to deliver a package to some   
associates of ours."  
  
"What kind of package? It's not drugs is it? 'Cause   
if I'm caught with that stuff, what's left of my   
career is going down the john." Dean wondered what   
he was getting himself into.  
  
"McGuire, you were told to hold your tongue!"   
snarled the man in an evil voice, now facing Dean.   
"This is the package we wish you to deliver."   
Vladimir took a folder from his jacket and handed it   
to Dean.  
  
When Dean skimmed the contents of the folder, his   
eyes flared up like saucers in horror!  
  
"What the hell is this?"  
  
:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*  
Amanda stumbled out of bed, stiff from the previous   
night's beating. She walked around the bed, draping   
her arm protectively around Jamie's shoulders. With   
his help, she limped to Philip.  
  
Jamie kept a close watch on the stranger on the   
floor. Why should he trust him just because his mom   
did? She had trusted Dad, but he left them. She had   
married Dean, but he ended up being a wife batterer.   
Why should he trust Lee?  
  
She woke Philip and gave him a similar explanation,   
then sent them both to the bathroom to get dressed.   
When they were gone, Amanda nudged Lee, trying to   
wake him. Mumbling under his breath, he ignored her   
and rolled over. Amanda shook him harder and called   
his name. This time he looked around the room, then   
at Amanda, trying to remember where he was.  
  
Lee stood up and stretched out his long limbs.   
Glancing down at the second bed, he looked up at   
Amanda in alarm. "They know I'm here!"  
  
"Yes, they do. I explained that you're a friend   
who's going to help us out of this."  
  
"You put quite a load on my back," he lightly   
complained, laughing under his breath.  
  
"You are going to help us, aren't you, Lee?"  
  
Lee looked up at her in shock. "Of course I am,   
Amanda. I could never leave you in this mess. I'm   
going to make sure Dean doesn't ever hurt you   
again."  
  
:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*  
  
The sudden click of a key opening the lock broke the   
silence of the apartment. Though it was almost noon,   
only the dim light shining through the draped   
windows lighted the room. The door slowly creaked   
open and three shadows walked across the threshold.   
The lead figure carried a sleeping body to a sofa in   
the middle of the room. Brightness completely   
flooded the room as the woman of the group switched   
on the lights. Lee grabbed a sofa blanket and   
covered Jamie with it.  
  
Amanda had wanted to head to the police station and   
report the domestic violence, but she really didn't   
want to take the boys. What was she going to do with   
them? Taking them home wasn't even a considered   
option, and leaving them at the safe house or Lee's   
apartment alone would be too frightening. Amanda's   
situation wasn't a federal case, so the Agency   
couldn't legally get involved.   
  
'What am I going to do? O God, what am I supposed to   
do?' Not knowing what to do with herself, Amanda   
automatically headed for the kitchen with Philip to   
make coffee and sandwiches. She tried to reach for   
the bag of coffee grounds in the cupboard, but   
Dean's blow to her gut had done more damage than she   
had thought. She jerked her hand back quickly and   
doubled over, sucking in a sharp breath in to   
compensate for the painful stretch.  
  
Lee sprung from where he was standing in the   
doorway, and helped Amanda up. Taking her hand, he   
guided her to a chair and sat her down. He knelt   
down, at eye level with her.   
  
"Why don't you and Philip take a rest in my room,   
and when you're ready, we'll talk about what we'll   
do next, hmm?" He rubbed her back soothingly, trying   
to help her forget the subsiding pain.  
  
Amanda didn't answer. Instead she rested her head on   
his shoulder and promptly fell asleep. Sighing, he   
picked her up in his arms. He turned around to find   
Philip glaring at him with an evil eye. Giving the   
boy an uneasy smile, Lee took Amanda and laid her on   
his bed, all the time aware the teen was watching   
him. He looked up at Philip and then gestured   
towards the empty space beside Amanda.   
  
"You can sleep there if you want." Lee stood up and   
started walking out the door. "I was just going to   
the kitchen to uh... find... food... and..." He   
trailed off, feeling intimidated by the boy's   
don't-mess-with-my-family glare. Lee Stetson, the   
Great Scarecrow, "The Best Agent in the Country",   
was being stared down by a kid.  
  
Philip seemed to ignore his offer. He walked right   
up to Lee and looked him straight in the eyes.   
  
"Don't touch my mom." The low whispered threat was   
barely recognizable as a boy's voice. That said,   
Philip shoved right past the stunned Scarecrow and   
slammed the bedroom door, barricading himself and   
his mom away from the still untrustworthy stranger.   
  
Lee wasn't quite sure what to make of what had just   
happened. Ignoring it for now, he left the boy and   
his mother alone while he thought things through. He   
slowly sauntered back into the kitchen.   
  
'What now?' Should the police come to the apartment   
to question her? What lawyers were dependable to   
handle a case like this? Could the Agency take this   
case? 'The Agency, oh shit!'  
  
Grabbing the kitchen phone, he dialed Billy's   
number. While the secretary at "IFF" was connecting   
him, Lee noticed the light on his answering machine   
blinking violently. Probably messages from Billy,   
telling Lee what was going to happen to his sorry   
ass if he didn't have a damn good reason for not   
coming to work or checking in.  
  
After a few seconds, a very annoyed and extremely   
angry William Melrose yelled into Lee's ear.  
  
"Where the hell have you been?! I've been trying to   
get hold of you all day! Do you have any idea what's   
going on here! Why didn't you check in?"  
  
"I'm sorry Billy, I forgot. But it was important."   
Lee tried his best to keep his voice at a low   
whisper, trying not to wake Jamie in the living   
room.   
  
"Lee, I was very concerned. There's a rumor going   
round that Michail Godunow is in the States. He's   
known in Europe and southeast Asia for trading and   
selling people. Agents mostly. He's stayed away from   
us, but it seems he's been hiding out in D.C. for a   
few months."  
  
"So I'll watch my back. And I'll check in more   
often."  
  
"Lee, there's another thing. I don't know how to   
tell you this, but Amanda is missing. She hasn't   
come in to work today. We've called her house, but   
there was no answer."  
  
"Billy, don't worry. She's here with me. And her   
boys."  
  
"What?! Why?"  
  
"Well, she was having some personal troubles and   
asked me to help her."  
  
"Is she all right?" his boss asked, worried about   
Amanda, completely forgetting his earlier anger.  
  
"Not really. Look, I was wondering if you do me a   
favor. Could you have someone pull up all the files   
you can get on Dean McGuire, especially medical,   
psych and police records?"  
  
"Sure. But why? What's wrong with Amanda's husband?"  
  
'He's a damn wife batterer.' Out loud though, Lee   
replied "He's been hitting her. Beating her."  
  
Lee heard Billy's deep breath. "Oh, God."  
  
"I want a cop here to investigate; I don't think   
Amanda should have to go down there and leave her   
kids."   
  
"Yeah, sure, I know some officers at the DCPD who   
are really good with cases like this. I can arrange   
the whole thing. Don't worry."  
  
An unexpected motion distracted Lee for a second. He   
turned around just in time to see Jamie disappear   
into his room.   
  
"Billy, could you also send over an Agency doctor?   
I'd feel better if she was checked out by one of us.   
I guess I'm just being paranoid but could you   
arrange it?"  
  
"Yeah, sure Lee. Anything for Amanda. Take care of   
her."  
  
He thanked Billy and hung up. Walking into the   
living room, he decided to lie down and rest his   
eyes, just for a minute.  
  
:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*  
  
3:00 pm  
  
Lee's bedroom door opened. Amanda, followed by Jamie   
and Philip, stepped out. Lee had fallen asleep on   
the sofa. Moving around the kitchen carefully, as   
not to wake Lee or hurt herself anymore, Amanda   
started making sandwiches for her boys. Philip   
silently stopped her, and motioned towards the   
chair. Taking him up on his unspoken offer, Amanda   
sat down. Together, Jamie and Philip found what   
little food Lee had in his kitchen and created a   
messy meal of Mu-shu pork sandwiches with water to   
wash it down with. When they were done cleaning up   
and had sat down, each on one side of their mother,   
she gave them both a little squeeze and a thank you   
kiss.  
  
A knock on the door broke the peaceful moment and   
jarred Lee from his sleep. As Lee walked to the   
front door, Amanda watched from the kitchen. No one   
spoke. You could feel the tension in the room.   
Peering through the peephole in the door, Lee broke   
the unbearable tension with a relieved sigh.  
  
He glanced at Amanda before opening the door "It's   
Francine and Dr. Faust." He opened the door and let   
the two women in. After a solemn greeting, Francine   
carried armloads of files into the living room. Dr.   
Faust stayed behind and continued talking to Lee.   
Getting impatient in the kitchen, Amanda walked over   
to Lee and the doctor.  
  
"Amanda, Mr. Melrose and Lee think it would be a   
good idea for me to check you out. Do you mind?"  
  
For a minute Amanda thought about protesting. The   
idea of someone examining her, looking at her wounds   
didn't feel right somehow. She looked at Lee. The   
support and encouragement she needed was right there   
in his eyes. After a slight nod, Dr. Faust led her   
to Lee's bedroom for privacy. Lee walked into the   
living room, where Francine was waiting with the   
files stacked on his coffee table. He sat down with   
an 'umf' and absently started flipping through the   
files before Francine stopped him and took them from   
his hands.  
  
"Lee, there's a problem. We did what you asked. We   
looked up all official records we could on Dean. In   
fact, he had plenty of assault and DWIs from a few   
years back. He also had a shrink who was helping him   
recover from some violent outbreaks. But somehow we   
got kicked off the server, and when we got back on,   
it was all gone. His records had been completely   
wiped out. He didn't have a police or psych record,   
or even a parking ticket."  
  
"Oh, God. Then what is all this then?"  
  
"Well, it was obvious someone was tampering, so we   
did another check on Amanda to see if anything had   
changed there."  
  
Francine pulled out one of the files from the pile.   
"Look at this one. According to these medical and   
psychiatric records, Amanda is a compulsive liar and   
has been abusing herself and blaming it on her   
boyfriends for years."  
  
"That's ridiculous. Amanda could ne…" Francine cut   
him off before he could continue.  
  
"She also has an extensive police record. Gambling,   
robbery, assault, prostitution…"  
  
"We did a background check on her twice. You know   
this stuff is shit!" Lee was having trouble   
containing his anger.  
  
"I know, I know. But this is all official. It   
doesn't seem to be forged." She sighed with her head   
hung, apparently just as frustrated as Lee. "This is   
bigger than just an abuse case."  
  
Running a hand through his hair, Lee shot up and   
started his ritual pacing. He was so engrossed in   
what he was doing, that his heart nearly stopped   
when he realized that Philip and Jamie were in the   
room standing behind Francine.  
  
Philip spoke up first, "What do you mean you had our   
mom checked out?"  
  
Francine jumped. She shot a look behind her, then up   
at Lee, waiting for him   
  
to answer.  
  
Lee stood there, dumbfounded. What was he going to   
tell them? Finally he managed to choke out a   
sentence.  
  
"Why don't you guys check on your mom?" he asked,   
forcing a smile.  
  
Philip eyed him before turning around and heading   
for the bedroom. Jamie, on the other hand, stood   
still, staring at Lee for about a minute before   
following his brother, mumbling under his breath,   
"Jerk." Philip's knock was answered, and they   
disappeared into the bedroom. 


	7. Just When You Think Things Couldn't Get ...

.:How To Catch a Scarecrow:.  
  
  
:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*  
Earlier that Morning  
Limousine in Arlington  
  
"What were you expecting, McGuire? A pizza delivery?   
Listen to me carefully. You give us what we want,   
you'll get your two million, and everyone will be   
happy."  
  
Dean was still in shock. "You're practically asking me   
to sell you someone!" He looked back down of the   
picture of the woman with soft brown hair and gentle   
eyes starring up at him. Also in the envelope, were his   
instructions to the place he was to bring her. "She's   
my wife for god's sake! You can't expect me to…" This   
sudden glimpse of humanity was quickly crushed when   
Dean saw the Soviet's evil glare.  
  
"You Americans are too soft." He reached into a   
briefcase on the opposite seat and pulled out a thick   
stack of photographs. Handing them to Dean, he let out   
a disgusted snort. "Here, let us show you something   
about your darling wife."  
  
Unsure of what the man had planned, Dean took the black   
and white photographs and began going through them.   
Turning on the interior light for the soft American,   
Vladimir sat back and enjoyed the look on the   
distraught husband's face as he looked through the   
photographs, dropping each one unceremoniously to the   
ground when he had finished staring a hole through it.  
  
.:*:.Lee touching Amanda's waist as she looks around the room nervously…  
.:*:.Amanda and Lee sitting at a bar, having a good time…  
.:*:.Amanda and Lee on a ship, hugging like a married couple…  
.:*:.Amanda holding Lee's hands, standing on a bridge in...London?  
.:*:.Lee kissing Amanda's hand, sitting together in a restaurant…  
.:*:.Amanda sucking off Lee's lip, alone together, in a car…  
.:*:.Lee and Amanda walking to a motel room together…  
  
Shock and horror were soon replaced by his resentment   
against the woman and her boss swelling in his heart.   
'How could she? I'm her husband, and this whole time   
she was having an affair with Mr. Suave. But I can't   
sell her out. Can I?' The last thought, that may or may   
not have been his conscience, was quickly tampered down   
by his intense hate, anger and greed. "When do you   
want her?"  
  
:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..  
  
"Jamie, you can't! What will mom say? Come down, now!"   
Philip pleaded.   
  
"No!" Jamie protested, partly to his brother's attempt   
to prevent his escape, but also to his foot loosing   
balance on Lee's bathroom heater. "Mom shouldn't have   
put us in that guy's bathroom unless she wanted us to   
go for help!" he reasoned.   
  
"That's stupid. Mom doesn't…" Philip tried.  
  
"Don't call me stupid!" Jamie interrupted, clenching   
his teeth in effort to cling to the windowsill. He   
slipped again, falling silently to the bathroom floor.  
  
"I didn't say that." Philip said helping his brother   
up. "I just mean that maybe she put us in here so the   
doctor could look at her in private, like she said." He   
glanced around the room at the games and pillows that   
had been placed in the big bathroom with them to keep   
them occupied while the adults worked in private   
outside the closed door. "You can't go out by yourself   
anyway…"  
  
"Then come with me, just shut up" Jamie started up the   
heater again with renewed vigor.   
  
"Don't tell me to shut up. If you go, you're gonna make   
mom worried. You don't want her to do that, do you?"  
  
Jamie stopped mid-thrust, nearly losing his balance and   
falling down again. He turned to look at his older   
brother, but instead of the resigned look Philip   
expected to see, he saw a look of determination on   
Jamie's face. "That Lee guy in there is checking mom's   
criminal record. I don't trust him. I can go get real   
help. Now are you gonna help me or not?"  
  
His resolve fading, Philip gave his brother the final   
boost he needed to crawl out the small window. Philip   
quickly jumped up to peer over and see his little   
brother jump over to and down the fire escape and off   
onto the busy DC streets.  
  
:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..  
  
Jamie would not stop running, no matter what. His lungs   
were burning, his throat was dry, his legs were tired,   
and he had just past Frank's Bar-n-Grill for the second   
time in 15 minutes, but he would not stop running.   
Sooner or later he'd end up somewhere he recognized,   
and then he could find his way back home. Suddenly a   
thought struck him.   
  
'What am I gonna do when I get there? Call dad? Call   
the cops? Call Grandma?' He slowed his pace, and began   
to slowly wonder as he walked. He was so caught up in   
his new dilemma, that he did not notice the limo across   
the street, following him.  
  
:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..  
  
"Do you understand the plan McGuire?" Vladimir   
demanded.   
  
"I don't know. He's just a kid." Dean glanced across   
the street to watch the little boy walking down the   
sidewalk. "He won't get hurt right?" worry creeping   
into his voice.  
  
"Not if you do things correctly." His commie friend   
replied. "But if you screw things up, there is no   
telling what can happen." The car turned down a road,   
out of Jamie's vision, and pulled over to the curve.   
"Get out now, McGuire, and wait for the signal."   
Hesitating only for a second, Dean jumped out of the   
car and started walking back to where he had last seen   
Jamie.   
  
:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..  
  
Amanda was lying on her back with her shirt raised to   
her ribs as Dr. Faust examined her stomach. Softly   
probing her tender abdomine and ribs, the only words   
spoken were an occasional "does this hurt" or "just   
relax" by the female doctor.   
  
Still probing, the doctor looked up to see Amanda   
averting her eyes away. Looking back to Amanda's   
stomach, Stephanie pulled the shirt back down the   
tender area, and talked to Amanda again.   
  
"Where else did he hit you?"  
  
"It wasn't was bad this time. Just my face and my   
stomach. Stephanie frowned at this, and remembering the   
limp Amanda has sported a the day before, moved her   
chair down to the end of the bed to check the still   
sore ankle.  
  
"Thank you Dr. Faust." Amanda said.  
  
"I haven't done anything yet. Call me Stephanie." She   
said softly. "Tell me what happened, Amanda."  
  
As Amanda recapped the events of the night before,   
Stephanie took a look at the ankle. The swelling had   
begun to recede, but it obviously needed binding and to   
be set after not being treated right away.  
  
"Do you have any family, besides you're ex-husband?"   
the doctor asked concerned.  
  
"Just my mother, but I don't want to worry her."   
  
"Maybe you should reconsider. I think I would want to   
know if my daughter were suffering."  
  
"You have a daughter?"  
  
Stephanie caught Amanda's attempt to change the   
subject, and for the moment, decided to go along with   
it. "Yes. Her name is Megan. I think she's about   
Jamie's age. I think they even have some classes   
together, at school." The doctor stopped to reach over   
to get some pills from her medical bag. "Amanda, I'm   
going to give you some pain killers that will make you   
drowsy, so you might want to take a nap, OK?"  
  
Amanda silently nodded, took the bottle of water and   
pills Stephanie offered, and laid back down to rest   
some more.   
  
:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..:*:..  
  
Jamie continued to walk completely enveloped in his own   
world, not paying attention to anything or anyone. He   
needed to go to someone he trusted. A friend maybe.   
Perhaps he should go to the cops. They are supposed to   
help the people, but what about what Mr. Stetson said   
about mom's criminal record. If that's true, no one would   
believe…  
  
The young man's thoughts came to an abrupt halt as he went   
into complete shock, wondering why he was being lifted off   
the ground and slammed into the wall of an alley. His   
head shot up in time to see a man in a suite and   
sunglasses covering Jamie's mouth, preventing him from   
calling for help. When reality finally hit him, Jamie   
began to struggle in the man's hold, trying desperately to   
get away. 'Help! Why doesn't anyone help me!' he thought,   
hoping someone could hear his mind. The man in glasses   
pulled something from his pocket that smelled really bad   
and was making Jamie a little dizzy, when the man suddenly   
dropped him.  
  
Jamie fell to the ground, his butt braking his fall, and   
looked up in horror as his new hero was beating up his   
attacker. After a few good punches thrown his way, the man   
in glasses seemed to give up and ran off. Tense and more   
than terrified, Jamie relaxed a bit when his rescuer   
offered him a hand. That's when he saw the man's face.   
  
"Dean!" 


	8. The Setup

A D.C. Alley  
2:55 pm  
  
Not even acknowledging Dean's gesture, Jamie scrambled up   
without the mans help. Trapped between a dumpster and the   
end of the alley, the only way out was passed Dean. Jamie   
pressed himself against the wall, almost hoping it would   
swallow him up, just to get away from this man.  
  
That's why it took him off guard when he heard Dean's first   
words.  
  
"Are you OK?" he asked, seemingly concerned.   
  
"What do you care? Why are you even here?" the boy   
whimpered. If this man could beaten up his mother, there's   
no telling what he would do to Jamie.  
  
"I've been following you guys for a while." Dean replied   
casually.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because Lee Stetson is a dangerous man, Jamie. It's not   
safe for you to be with him too long."  
  
"That's not true! Mom trusts him. You're the one who's the   
bad guy, you jerk!" The young man began yelling, feeling   
his fear dispersing. "You hit my mother!" Before the words   
had even passed his clenched teeth, Jamie had lunged   
himself head first into Dean, trying unsuccessfully to   
knock him over. Dean grabbed him by the arms strong enough   
to push away a bit, but not enough to hurt him.  
  
"Have you ever seen me?" Dean asked, trying to calm the boy   
down.  
  
"What?!" Jamie screeched, confused by such a question.  
  
"Have you ever seen me lay a hand on your mom?"  
  
This question stopped Jamie dead in his tracks. He had only   
seen his mom the mornings after she got hurt. She was   
always limping, or hiding bruises. But he had never seen   
her get hurt. Philip had never said anything about it. What   
was Dean saying?  
  
"No" he whispered meekly. He stood there looking through   
Dean's chest, taking in the given information.   
  
"That's because I never hurt her. You just assumed I did.   
You're mother was hiding the truth from you. She gets hurt   
at work, Jamie. Mr. Stetson lets her go out into dangerous   
situations and she gets hurt by bad men, so Lee doesn't."   
the man lied.   
  
"That's not true! Your making it up!" but even as he spoke   
the words, he began to remember. Mom *had* gotten hurt at   
work a lot. She'd even been to the hospital a few times   
since she'd started her job at IFF.   
  
"I only want to protect her, Jamie. Now, sometimes I may   
raise my voice, but I would never hurt her." Dean said,   
knowing he'd be going to Hell for this.  
  
Looking up into the eyes of the man in front of him, Jamie   
wondered if putting his trust in this man would be a   
mistake. "How can I help?"  
  
Lee Stetson's Living Room  
3:20 pm  
  
"Philip, where is Jamie?" Lee asked exasperated. 20 minutes   
and all he'd been able to get out of the arrogant little   
brat had been a grunt and an evil eye.  
  
"I told you I don't know! He just went through the window   
and he didn't tell me where he was going. I couldn't have   
stopped him even if I had tried."  
  
Francine, who up to this point had been watching in   
amusement as the skilled agent interrogated the young man   
to no avail, finally took Lee aside.  
  
"Let me try" she whispered and the twirled around with an   
absolutely phony smile and approached Amanda's eldest son.   
She sat down gracefully on the coffee table across from   
Philip so she was eye to eye with him.  
  
"Now, Mr. McGuire..."  
  
"King." He corrected.  
  
"Mr. King. Washington D.C. is no place for your little   
brother to be walking all alone..."  
  
Her fake blonde hair and strong perfume was enough for   
Philip to dislike her even more than Lee Stetson. At least   
Lee's pacing had been amusing. His insistent questioning   
had made it feel like he was on an episode of Perry Mason.   
But this woman was just annoying and patronizing. She was   
talking to him like he was 5 years old. After about 6   
minutes of nonstop mouth-movement, the blonde stopped   
talking, and seeing as how Philip hadn't heard a word she   
had said, he simply answered her hopeful look with silence   
and continued staring at her really, really thick mascara.   
  
Never to be known for her patience, Francine snapped and   
started grabbing for Philip's arm. "Listen kid, if your mom   
wakes up and finds your brother gone..."  
  
Francine's tirade was cut abruptly short by a soft knock on   
the front door. Lee, who had just begun to interfere with   
Francine's new interrogation technique pulled his gun out   
and looked through the peep whole. Seeing no one outside,   
he cautiously opened the door only to come face to barrel   
with a startled and terrified Jamie King.  
  
2 hours later  
  
Lee's living area had dramatically changed. Computers   
beeped everywhere, agents checking printouts and monitors   
and driving Lee's phone bill up like crazy.   
  
Amanda sat with on Lee's sofa with one sleeping son on   
either side of her. Even with the three hours of sleep she   
had gotten, she still felt exhausted. It didn't help that   
Lee hadn't stopped prodding her for information.  
  
"Amanda, you're absolutely sure you can't remember anything   
unusual in the last few weeks? Strange people, computer   
problems, maybe..."  
  
"No! Lee, you've been asking me this for half an hour. I   
can't think of anything. Except for...you know.../Dean/"   
she whispered the last part, not wanting Philip and Jamie   
having to ever hear that name again.  
  
"Yeah. I'm sorry." He knelt in front of her and placed a   
caring hand softly on her knee. Even at this, he saw her   
trying to hide a flinch. She relaxed immediately,   
reprimanding herself for feeling threatened by Lee's   
affection. She sighed and closed her eyes tight trying to   
will away the feelings Dean's memory had left behind. "Hey,   
Amanda..."  
  
He lightly scratched her knee with his finger to get her   
attention. She opened them slowly, and seeing only Lee's   
caring face, sighed in relief, and then immediately   
forgetting why she had panicked in the first place. We'll   
find Dean, and the men who are trying to frame you, and   
everything will be ok."  
  
"You can't promise that" she said this with a sad smile,   
knowing that Lee was only trying to make her feel better.  
  
"Yes, I can. I'm a Scarecrow, Secret Agent." Amanda   
laughed, almost giggled at this assumption and Lee smiled   
with delight at his success to make her feel better.  
  
"It's true. Don't laugh." He countered, still smiling.   
"It's a government policy. Happy endings guaranteed for   
pretty female agents."  
  
"I didn't see that in my contract."  
  
"Well, it's more of a bonus than a policy, but it's still   
true."  
  
"Whatever you say, Lee."  
  
"I'll have you know..."  
  
"Scarecrow" a voice that was not Amanda's interrupted him.   
He looked up to see Billy standing next to a computer and   
looking at him expectantly. "Get your butt over here"  
  
"/Sorry/" he reached out and gave her hand a squeeze and   
got up to see what Billy had.   
  
"Look at this." his boss demanded, handing him a printout.   
  
"It's a trace. You were able to find out who hacked on to   
our system."  
  
"It's been rerouted quite a bit, but we were able to track   
it down to its origin. An address in Alexandria. We should   
get a team up there immediately to check it out. I want   
some agents here with Amanda and her sons and the rest of   
us should go out to Alexandria."  
  
Nobody noticed the small smile that formed on the face of a   
supposedly sleeping Jamie King.   
  
The next hour was a mad house. Billy got his team force   
together and everyone was suited up with bullet proof vest   
and listening devices.  
  
"So we can hear everything that's happening?" Amanda asked,   
inspecting the new equipment that had just been installed   
in Lee's already full apartment.  
  
"Yep." Lee was fiddling with some wires and a microphone as   
he talked. "In case of an emergency, I want you to be ready   
to go to a safe house with Dr. Faust and agent Williams.   
They're going to stay here with you while we're in   
Alexandria. You can talk to me through this." He handed   
Amanda the microphone he had been untangling. He lowered   
his voice, switching from professional mode to personal.   
"Are you OK with this? I mean, do you want me to stay with   
you?"   
  
"No. You don't have to." she replied. "I want you to find   
out who's been doing this."  
  
"Now, you're sure their coming right now?" The familiar   
voice on the phone asked. Jamie sat in Lee's bathroom   
again, whispering into the phone, hoping not to wake his   
brother in the bedroom. If he was discovered talking to   
Dean, he wasn't sure what Mr. Stetson would do to him.   
  
"Yeah. They're about to go out soon. What am I supposed to   
do?"  
  
"Everything is going to plan don't worry. Remember what I   
told you. Wait for the signal." The phone went dead. 


	9. Things Get Interesting

Alexandria 8:24pm  
  
The house seemed deserted. All the windows were blackened   
from the inside. Outside, an unmarked van was parked,   
seeming to the untrained eye, as just another vehicle.   
Inside this van though, three agents watched cameras and   
listened to equipment as 20 other agents surrounded the   
quiet house.  
  
"Each one of you has a partner, there are four agents on   
two teams. On the count of 5 team 1 goes in through the   
back, team 2 in the front and the rest of you guard all   
the exits." Billy spoke into his walky-talky from his   
position in the van. "1, 2, 3, 4,…5"  
  
Lee could barely see his hand in front of his face, even   
with the little flashlight strapped to his shoulder. He   
caught some movement on the opposite end of the big   
room he seemed to be in and pulled his gun out.  
  
"Freeze. Federal agents."  
"Don't move, government agents"  
  
From every part of the room, members from both Agency   
teams pulled guns and aimed at each other, but through   
the confusion, finally realized that there was nobody in   
the room except them.   
  
"Don't worry Billy, false alarm."  
  
The house seemed to be nothing but a big, deserted room   
until Francine tapped Lee on the shoulder to get his   
attention. The far end of the room was slightly lighter   
than on the side they were all gathered where a strip of   
light was peeking from underneath a door. "/There's a   
light on over on the East side of the house. Team 1 is   
going check it out. You guys on Team 2 go outside and   
look for a way in through there./" Lee whispered into his   
microphone.   
  
"/Roger that Scarecrow/" Came Billy's reply.   
  
"/Be careful, Lee./" Amanda warned from her station in   
Georgetown.   
  
Guns drawn and in position, Francine stood on one side of   
the door, Lee on the other, and the other two agents next   
to them. Scarecrow raised three fingers and started   
counting down. Two fingers….one finger. With three other   
agents covering him, Lee spun around kicked the door in,   
gun raised and was quickly followed by the others, who   
stopped in their tracks just as suddenly as Lee had.  
  
"What the hell?" He asked the empty room.  
  
"Lee? Lee, what do you see?" Amanda asked.   
  
"All that's in here is a table with a speakerphone on   
it."  
  
"Scarecrow." The rumbling, heavy accented voice filled   
the room and sent shivers down Billy's spine.  
  
"/Stetson, be careful. That's Michail Godunow./ His boss   
warned from the van.   
  
"Billy! What a surprise to find you hear. Scarecrow,   
please, step closer. I would like to have a word with the   
lovely Mrs. King. You see, I can hear everything you can,   
but the reception can get a little hazy. Can you hear me   
Amanda?" Even with his friendly tone, Lee could still   
feel the evil in the man's voice.  
  
Though terrified and unsure, Amanda found herself   
answering the Russian in a little voice. "Yeah"  
  
"What do you want Godunow?" Lee was getting antsy. He   
wanted Amanda out of D.C. and in the safe house. Michail   
continued, ignoring his question.  
  
"Amanda. Those are very fine boys you have. I am looking   
forward to meeting them soon."  
  
"Crap! Billy, switch to our emergency backup frequency   
now!" There was a static for a few seconds while he   
adjusted his radio.  
  
"Scarecrow, you copy?"  
  
"Billy, I want Amanda and her boys out of my apartment   
now, in three separate cars. I'm not giving this guy a   
chance to get to her."  
  
"You got it Lee. Did you hear that Roberts?"  
  
"Loud and clear, sir!" Agent Roberts turned around to   
face Amanda. "Amanda, you're with me."  
  
"I'll take Jamie and Faust takes Philip." Williams   
offered.  
  
"Ok. Everyone grab your things. We're heading out now.   
Let's move it." Five minutes later, a reluctant Amanda   
King got into a car without her sons, after seeing her   
two sons off into different cars, and rushed off to the   
safe house.  
  
Twenty minutes after they left Lee's, Amanda and Philip   
were in the house waiting for Jamie. Dr. Faust stayed in   
the room with Amanda while Agents Roberts guarded outside   
and waited for Williams to show up. "I'm sure they were   
just held up in traffic. We all took different routs,   
Williams took the longest one. He'll be here." She   
assured.  
  
Thirty minutes after, Lee showed up to make sure they   
were ok.  
  
Forty minutes after, a search was sent out.  
  
Fifty minutes after, the phone rang. "Scarecrow." Lee   
answered.  
  
"Mr. Stetson." Michail Godunow voice again greeted Lee in   
it's low Russian sneer. "There's someone here that would   
like to talk to his mother." 


	10. The Dreaded Phone

How To Catch A Scarecrow 10  
  
  
  
"Mom?" Jamie's voice replaced the Mikhail's.  
  
"Jamie?" Lee suddenly heard Amanda's voice, and looked up to see   
her on the speaker phone. "Jamie, sweetheart, are you ok? Did   
they hurt you?" she tried to stay strong, but the fear and panic   
was creeping in her voice.  
  
"Mom, they want Mr. Scarecrow. They want to make an exchange."   
The room was silent as the piece of information was digested by   
each individual in the room. A secret agent, a government   
employee, a man with contacts and connections all around the   
world, who had risked his life for his country, in exchange for   
the life of an innocent little boy. Amanda stole a glance at Lee   
with big teary eyes, not being able to look at herself like all   
the other agents. She did not know how in the world to feel.  
  
"Mom? Are you still there?"  
  
"Yeah, sweetheart. I'm here. Did they say where they wanted to   
make the exchange?"  
  
"No. The man only said that if you were really serious, he'd   
find you at the place where everything started going crazy. I   
have to go, mom."  
  
"Jamie, no, no, honey, stay on the line, we need to know where   
you are." The last part of her sentence was spoken to a dial   
tone. Lee broke the unbearable silence.  
  
"Did someone trace the call?" he asked Roberts.  
  
He spoke up from the back of the room, just having come from the   
tracer in the back room. "It was a cellular phone. We couldn't   
get a location."  
  
_*_*_*_*_*_*  
  
  
"We can't do it Scarecrow. Regulation states that the life of a   
federal agent is not to be used as a negotiation tool!" Melrose   
bellowed once he and Lee were alone.  
  
"We are talking about a little boy, Billy! Amanda's son! How can   
you even consider not doing anything?" Lee protested. He was   
pacing back and forth, his face burning red, resisting the   
desire to punch his boss in the face. "I don't feel I have a   
choice."  
  
"That's right. You don't. You are not going out there. We will   
come up with a solution, but I am not risking you. That is the   
end of this discussion."  
  
"Billy!"  
  
"No." With a slammed door then standing between Scarecrow and   
his boss, the discussion was indeed over.  
  
_*_*_*_*_*_*  
  
Lee pulled into street, trying to desperately avoid Amanda's   
tearful eyes. After much convincing, Amanda left Philip with Dr.   
Faust and she took him to her home. Lee needed to talk to her   
alone. But what was he to say? How do you tell a woman that   
nothing is being done to save her son? How do you tell your   
partner that he would risk his life for her, but not for her   
children? How do you look her in the eyes and tell her to give   
up?  
  
He was brought out of his train of thought be Amanda's painful   
outburst. "I can't just drive around while my baby boy is in   
danger! I have to do something."  
  
"Godunow said to go to the place where everything began. Where   
everything started going crazy. I think he meant your house. If   
we go there we'll find out what he wants, and we'll give it to   
him." He said casually, keeping his eyes focused on the road.  
  
"Amanda, too dazed by the turn of events took a few second to   
process what she had just heard. "He said he wanted the   
Scarecrow. You." She looked at him amazed, not sure if to be   
afraid or grateful.   
  
For the first time since the phone call and the message from   
Jamie, Lee turned to her, trying to avoid her eyes and failing.   
"I know" he looked away again, and spoke once more, facing   
reality rather than Amanda. He wasn't going to tell her the   
Agency wasn't doing anything. He was going to help her himself.   
"I know."  
  
Too stunned by this revelation, Amanda and Lee continued to the   
King house in silence.  
  
_*_*_*_*_*  
  
It ad only been 24 hours, but the house was already heavy with   
stale air, tinged with the scent of bile, blood, and alcohol.   
The memories came crashing back, and for a split second, Amanda   
was standing in front of Dean again, bottle in hand, evil light   
in his eyes.  
  
A sensation on her hip startled her and she summed, flinching at   
the innocent touch. She spun her head to see Lee trying to put   
his arm around her waist, silently offering her a comforting   
hug. She turned to face Dean, only so find him fading slower   
from her imagination than she would like to have hoped. She   
embraced Lee as tightly as her eyes were shut.  
  
She didn't want to be here. Dean had taken a house of dreams,   
and transformed it to a house of nightmares. She didn't want to   
be here. She didn't want to wait for her sons.  
  
She didn't have to.  
  
The phone's shrill tone struck her heart harder than Dean's   
memory over could.  
  
Lee tried to walk with her still on his arm, but when Amanda   
refused to move as if she were frozen in place. He let go and   
left her side, touching her should reassuringly while his other   
hand still clutched the gun he had pulled out the moment they   
had arrived.  
  
Godunowa accented voice once again invaded Lee's brain. "It's   
about time. If you want the boy, listen carefully, or else he   
will die." 


	11. The Prodical Jamie Updated!

How to Catch a Scarecrow Part 11  
  
  
The warehouse stood silently in the dark streets of DC. The   
only sign of life was a overweight 50 something security guard   
walking around the perimeter, stopping every 50 feet to look   
around with his flashlight.  
  
Amanda and Lee squatted in absolute silence, dressed in black   
under cover of darkness, as they waited for him to go around   
to the other side of the building.  
  
"Lee, don't you think this is a little too easy?" Amanda   
whispered quizzically, as he cut through the barbwire   
ominously surrounding the building.  
  
"Yes, but Godunowa is not expecting us for another hour. We'll   
catch him off guard." He continued to cut, trying to focus his   
attention on not getting caught.  
  
Amanda continued "But doesn't it seem a little odd to you,   
that he gave us so much time? This place is only 30 minutes   
from my house, but he gave us 2 hours to get here."  
  
Lee, finally through the wire turned to her for a second. "Do   
you want to get Jamie?"  
  
"Of course I do Lee, but…"  
  
"This is our only chance Amanda. You remember the plan don't   
you?"  
  
"Yes"  
  
"Then lets go get your son." He turned back to the wire laying   
flat on his stomach, and after a quick check to see it the   
guard was coming back, he wiggled himself through the obstacle   
with Amanda following behind him. Though they were suppose to   
be silent, he could have sworn he heard a woman mumbling about   
a "stupid plan" and the word "backup" seemed to be her   
favorite.  
  
Hunched over to avoid detection, the pair ran silently to the   
back door where they were hidden by two big green dumpsters.  
  
As Lee's attention was once again diverted, this time by the   
lock he had to pick, Amanda stood guard. "Lee" she whispered.  
  
"Not now Amanda."  
  
But Amanda would not be shushed. "Lee, I don't think anybody   
owns this warehouse."  
  
Seeing that she wouldn't stop talking till she had said what   
she had on her mind, Lee let her talk. "What makes you say   
that?" he asked, only somewhat interested.  
  
"Well, you cut through the wire, and now you're picking the   
lock, but no alarms have gone off. Isn't that a little   
strange?"  
  
"I guess." He admitted, his interest somewhat peaking.   
  
"And there's only one security guard. He could just be for   
show. And these dumpsters are really old and rusty, but they   
don't smell so bad, like they haven't been filled with garbage   
in a long time."  
  
"What is your point?" Lee asked, wondering what in the world   
she was getting at.  
  
"I'll tell you. See, my cousin bought a warehouse when he was   
starting his furniture business,"  
  
"Amanda!" Lee whispered, forgetting his lock picking for the   
moment. "The point, please."  
  
"My point is, that when he went to the warehouse for the first   
time, he was given the only key that could lock all the doors,   
a key the government held until he bought the warehouse. When   
he got there, all the doors" she reached over his head and   
grabbed the knob, easily turning it and gently opening the   
door a few inches, "were open."  
  
Looking stunned and stupefied, Lee gave her a look that was   
somewhere between a glare and gratefulness. "Why didn't you   
just say so?"  
  
Finally inside, the serious business began. Inside, it was   
pitch black, except for the light emanating from underneath a   
door at the end of the hall. Walking cautiously toward it, gun   
in one hand, clutching Amanda's in the other. Lee inched his   
way forward until he could feel the door handle. He pulled   
slightly, finding that it opened easily under his hand, no   
longer holing Amanda's.   
  
One glance assured him of no immediate danger, but years of   
being an agent taught him never to feel comfortable in safe   
looking conditions. They were in a carpeted hallway with doors   
all along the walls, that had obviously been the offices of   
the building at one point. The paint was chipping off the   
walls, and the carpet smelled of rancid mildew. Taking a   
chance, Lee tried opening the doors one by one, finding them   
all locked.  
  
He was beginning to loose hope when finally, the last door   
opened. He glanced in through the crack and found a Jamie,   
sitting on a cot, reading a comic book, his attention now   
solidly on the door. But the look of fear did not cross the   
young teen's face until Lee walked through the door and into   
the small room.  
  
The boy was about to reach for an old phone sitting nestled   
between the wall and the cot's pillow, when he spotted his   
mother standing beside Lee.  
  
"Mom!" he exclaimed, and ran towards her, giving Lee a warning   
glare, making sure Mr. Stetson knew how much he was going to   
pay for hurting his mother. Giving his full attention to his   
mother, Jamie hugged her gently, not sure what other harm this   
man had done to her.  
  
"Jamie, honey, we have to get you out of here. Mr. Stetson and   
I are going to take you home. OK?"  
  
"No!" Jamie stepped back, a look of horror paling his face.   
"I'm not going with * him*" he explained tersely.   
  
"It's ok sweetheart. You'll be safe with him. With us" Amanda   
tried to convince her son, not understanding his hesitance.  
  
"No." the boy repeated. "I won't go" with that said, her ran   
passed Amanda and Lee, out the door, and down the hall, and   
through a double door that led to the main warehousing area.  
  
Lee and Amanda started to run after him when suddenly,   
piercing the silence, three gunshots came from the room Jamie   
just entered. Amanda was stood still, too shocked to keep   
going, while Lee sprinted faster than he had in his entire   
life. The shots still seemed to be echoing in the big,   
desolate room, as Lee saw a lifeless body laying dead and   
bleeding from the forehead in the middle of the cemented room.  
  
  
Amanda, finally escaping her daze, ran to Lee's side, who was   
still standing on the threshold of the double doors. Looking   
around his shoulder, she saw what held his attention.  
  
In the center of the room, Dean lie dead, a bullet lodged in   
his forehead. Standing 10 feet away from the dead body was a   
man holding the murder weapon. He was a big man, with broad,   
squared shoulders, and wide waist. Michail Godunow. A slight   
sound on the Russian's other side caught Amanda's attention.   
Despite the man's giant build, she was able to see her   
youngest son struggling to get away from Godunow's strong   
hold. The boys whimpered cries were suddenly drowned out by   
his calls for help.  
  
"Mom!" he shrieked, trying desperately to escape the man   
holding him tightly by the collar. He twisted and pulled,   
clawed and bit, but all to no avail. "Mom! Help!"  
  
Michail, knowing that Amanda and Lee were staring at him,   
turned to face the two agents, pointing his weapon to Jamie's   
temple. An evil smile adorned his face along with his piercing   
black eyes. Eyes that sent a chill down Amanda's spine. Evil   
eyes that gave her the same feeling she got when she had first   
seen pictures of Nazi concentration camps. Evil that you could   
only ever recall as a feeling, but never relate to anything   
visual. And this evil had her son at his mercy.  
  
"Mrs. King!" he feigned surprise at seeing her, seeming to   
ignore Lee's presents for the moment. "You're are a little   
late. I was expecting you some time ago." He accented voice   
echoed loudly through the warehouse, making sure Amanda heard   
every word more than once. "I'm so glad we could finally meet   
in person."  
  
For a moment, Lee lost his cool. He couldn't stand this. He   
was man of action, and waiting around for a madman to kill an   
innocent boy was not his style. He lurched forward, intending   
to attack the man with his bare hands. "You monster! You son   
of a…"  
  
"A monster?" scoffed the Russian. "I'll have you know Stetson,   
I have never done anysing illegal in my entire life. I paid   
agent Williams a very fair amount of money to escort the young   
King boy to me. The boy came willingly. Didn't you Jamie?" he   
demanded of Jamie, his gun still trained against his head.  
  
Instead of answering, Jamie lowered his head, ashamed of his   
actions, confirming Godunow's accusation.   
  
"You see, Stetson" he directed his attention back to Lee   
standing just next to Dean's cooling body. "I am no monster,   
as you claim. All of my business is done out of free will. No   
one has to die. Except for poor Mr. McGuire here. But, of   
course, you would have killed him if I hadn't. Isn't that   
right, Scarecrow?" the question went unanswered by the stunned   
agent, standing silently watching. "I am a very honest man,   
Stetson. I always keep my word. I told McGuire he would get   
what he deserved. And he has. Don't you agree?"  
  
"What do you want Godunow?" Lee demanded  
  
"I wish for you to come with me willingly, so I can sell you   
to whoever wants to seek revenge on the agent that ruined   
their life."  
  
"Why would I come with you?"  
  
"Because if you don't, I will make sure that Mrs. McGuire will   
have one less mouth to feed." He sneered, tightening his grip   
on Jamie's shirt.   
  
"You wouldn't. You couldn't do that to a little boy" Lee   
challenged.  
  
"The question is Scarecrow, would you do this to Mrs. King.   
Your Amanda."  
  
Lee stood stunned still again. He had to think. Could he live   
with himself if Godunow killed Jamie? Was he willing to give   
up his life for Amanda and her family? This man knew his   
weaknesses, and he was helpless. Suddenly, he was ashamed of   
himself for even taking a few seconds to think about the deal.  
  
"All right, Michail. You win. Take me instead of the boy." Lee   
said, ignoring Amanda's startled cry from behind him. "Just   
let him go."  
  
"Gladly." Instantly, a group of five men in masks and machine   
guns came out of nowhere and came up to Lee. Godunow released   
Jamie, who, despite being finally freed, walked warily across   
the room to his mother, escorted by one of the men. The other   
four men led Lee, who by now was handcuffed, to a truck that   
had been hiding in the shadows.   
  
Amanda and Jamie were led safely outside, where they saw the   
truck speed out of the warehouse, pick up their escort, and   
disappear into the night. 


	12. Lee's Way Out

How to Catch a Scarecrow Part 12  
  
  
  
  
Russian Prison near Moscow  
1 week later  
  
Alexi Icholai walked carefully down the grated hallway   
pushing the crummy food cart, desperately trying to avoid   
the hands grabbing through the grimy, rusty prison bars   
reaching for freedom. Those hands that held out an empty   
cup, he filled up with a cold, slimy broth that was too   
vile for even a rat to eat.   
  
As he passed thorough the turmoil and yelling, something   
odd caught his attention. A man, hunched in a ball, his   
eyes glazed over, sitting perfectly, silently still,   
refusing to join his inmates in the desperate cry for the   
grimy soup. Alexi had never seen this man in the prison   
before. This was not uncommon since new men came in and   
out every day, but this man was different.   
  
His thoughts mostly focused on not getting molested or   
killed by the ruthless inmates, it wasn't until he was   
directly in front of the odd prisoner that he recognized   
him.   
  
_*_*_*_*_*_  
  
Lee had only been in the rat infested prison for a day,   
and already he felt like he was in heaven, compared to   
the place he had been held for the last five days.   
Finally free from the freezing, black room where he had   
been held, he was enjoying the light and the warmth that   
radiated from other human bodies, as unwashed as they may   
have been.  
  
He couldn't remember much about the place he had been   
held before, or even much about his first few hours in   
the new prison, but whatever drugs they had given him had   
worn off, and he was just realizing that he was very   
hungry, or he had swallowed a live bear which was now   
reeking havoc and growling around inside of him. The man   
with the food cart was coming around for the second time   
that day, and Lee was determined not to miss him.   
  
He got up, and stuck his little cup through the bars like   
the other prisoners, when the man came up to his cell. He   
filled his inmates cups up, and gave them each a bun,   
randomly grabbed from a basket. When he finally came   
though, he seemed to dig carefully for one specific   
piece. As he handed it to Lee, he spoke in a quiet voice,   
difficult to understand through the hungry pleas and his   
poor English.   
  
"Don't eat the bread too fast." He warned. "It's from   
Kansas." With this he handed Lee the bread with a strange   
look, then continued on, as if nothing out of the   
ordinary had occurred.   
  
Too hungry to process what the man had, Lee drank up the   
broth in one gulp, not daring to taste it, fearing he   
might throw it up. His hunger somewhat eased, he   
inspected his bread. It looked normal enough, expect that   
the end seemed to have already been cut, but seemed to   
stay in place. He discovered that it had been pulled out   
of the bread, like a cork, an the inside of the bun had   
been hollowed out. Inside, there was a note that Lee   
carefully extracted.  
  
'Help on the way. Be prepared for instructions tonight.'  
  
Lee stuffed the note back in the bread, then ate the   
entire thing, not risking such a piece of paper being   
found in his cell. For the first time in a week, Lee felt   
a glimmer of hope. He just hoped help would come before   
Godunow had closed the deal with his future killers.   
  
Help came sooner than expected, in the most unexpected   
way. That evening, a guard came to Lee's cell. He was   
handcuffed and led out of the building.  
  
"Where are you taking me?" he demanded of the guard.   
  
"That is none of your concern American." His gruff voice   
answered. "Just get in the truck. Just behave, and you   
will be out of here as you can say, 'There's no place   
like home', njet?"  
  
As the guard led him on to the truck, leading him by the   
back of the shirt, he suddenly jerked Lee's head up, so   
he was facing the driver. Inside, a familiar blonde head   
hid under a Russian cap, her eyes hidden by dark   
sunglasses, but her features unmistakably those of   
Francine Desmond.   
  
Giving up what little struggle was in his thinning body,   
Scarecrow let the guard lead him into the truck where, he   
unlocked Lee's handcuffs and then put the cuffs that were   
chained to the inside of the truck on his wrists. Be he   
did not lock them. He simply let them dangle, so Lee   
would have no trouble getting out of them.   
  
For the first time, he began to relax. He thought of   
Amanda, and how he could see her again. He had missed her   
a lot, and though he never regretted giving himself up   
for her son, he couldn't wait to get home.  
  
As the truck drove off the compound, the driver's   
connecting window was pushed open, and Lee could see   
Francine's eyes searching for him. He got up carefully in   
his weakened condition to sit next to the window.  
  
"How you holding up back there?" she greeted.  
  
"Fine. It's great to see a familiar face. Where're we   
going?" he asked, eager to get out of Russia.  
  
"To a field about ten miles from here." She shouted   
trough the bars. "There's a private cargo jet that will   
take you to Vienna. There, you'll take the 5pm flight   
back to Dulles. There should be a change of clothes and   
some food back there, along with your ticket to the US."   
  
He looked around to indeed find fresh vegetables and   
water, along with jeans, shirt, boxer shorts, and a warm   
jacket. Thanking God for the little pleasures in life, he   
dawned up the clothing and wolfed down the food with   
renewed vigor. He was going home.  
  
17.4 miles outside of Moscow  
  
Michail Godunow was not a happy man. His top auction item   
had just escaped from a prison where he had been   
accidentally sent by an idiot guard he had promptly   
executed once the error had been discovered. But on   
arrival to the prison, he had discovered the agent had   
been again transported to another prison. The guard who   
had driven his prize item away had just left, and Michail   
had quickly tailed them down. He watched as the truck   
pulled up next to small airplane. The Russian radioed his   
men to send an armed helicopter to his location.  
  
Unfortunately, from his vantage point, he couldn't see   
exactly what was going on, and there were many people   
walking around, getting in and out of the airplane and   
the truck. Finally, the truck drove off with what seemed   
to be only one unarmed man with very feminine hair, and   
the airplane got ready to take off.  
  
Godunow would not let the Scarecrow leave the country.   
The helicopter arrived as the airplane started to ascend,   
and as it glided through the sky, a missile, launched   
from the armed helicopter, hit the cargo place, and his   
exploded in the air with an earth shattering noise,   
reaching miles in every direction, leaving no hope for   
any survivors. 


	13. Ending 1

.:How to Catch a Scarecrow 13:.  
Ending #1

January 24, 2002  
12:16am

Megan was lying on her side on her bed, facing her husband. He, on the other hand, was lying on his back, looking up at the sealing, and reliving every aching memory.

After a few moments of silence she started to sooth his chest with her hand. He came back from 1985, and turned over to face his wife.

"Did he…was he…he died?" she whispered.

"I'd never seen my mother cry that much before. At the funeral. It was the only time I saw her cry, she didn't want to upset us. But I heard her almost every night through the walls, when she thought we were sleeping. Sometimes, she wouldn't come home for hours after work. I followed her once. I took the bus downtown and waited until she left work. She went right to the cemetery."

"Did you talk to her?"

"Not really. I walked up to her, took her by the hand, and we just…were."

"James, your mother lives with us. I've never seen her go the cemetery. Why do you still go? It's been 17 years. Don't you think it's time for you to let go?"

"Don't you understand?" he almost yelled, jumping off the bed, and stared out the window. "I killed him. I'm responsible for his death. If I hadn't been so stubborn, so stupid. It's all my fault."

"Jamie?" the frail voice startled him, and he spun around. The siluette of his mother in the door came closer and closer as he sank lower and lower on the floor, until she had to kneel down. She ran her delicate fingers through his thick hair lovingly, hushing him while the silent tears ran down his face.

"It's OK Jamie. It was never your fault, understand, sweetheart. I never blamed you. Lee never blamed you. Don't blame yourself, please."

He looked up into her eyes, still the same radiant glow they always were, still shining with love and understanding. She held out her arms, offering an embrace.

"I'm so sorry mom. I'm so sorry." He leaned forward, accepting her comfort.

"No, Jamie. I'm sorry. We should have talked more. I shouldn't have tried to hide my feelings. I should have paid more attention to what you had to be going through." Mother and son, both in tears now, were left alone, as Megan silently slipped from the room, letting the two catch up on 17 years of unshared feelings and memories.


	14. Ending 2

.:How to Catch a Scarecrow 13.  
Ending #2

October 24, 1985 Arlington Cemetery

The day was unusually bright for a funeral. The birds were twittering in the trees, the clouds were dancing in the clear blue sky, and the daisies and dandelions hid the green grass. But the atmosphere of her surroundings did nothing to even ease the pain that Amanda was feeling.

The coffin was lowered slowly into the ground, while the mourners passed, paying their respects and tossing in a flower, or a handful of dirt after the empty coffin.

No body was ever found. The damage of the wreckage was too extensive. The plane had crashed into the field in a ball of flames, with no chance of survivors. Lee was never coming back.

Amanda, Francine and Billy were the last one's standing. The flag placed on the coffin had been neatly folded up by the soldier present and was handed to Billy, who in returned, passed it on to Amanda with a sympathetic hand on her shoulder.

It was over. Her partner, her best friend, was dead. For the hundredth time that day, she wiped the tears form her eyes.

"He was a good man. A good agent. He wouldn't want us…he'd want us to go on." Francine stammered weakly, barely believing her own clichés. She looked up one last time, and gave Amanda a tender hug, before walking off, leaving Billy and Amanda alone.

"Amanda?" Billy caught her attention with a pat on the shoulder. "Amanda, you have to understand, that sometimes, things happen, that we can't control. That some higher power in charge. We just have to trust that everything is not as bad as we think."

"Billy, he's dead." She stated emotionlessly.

"Amanda," Billy said with the beginnings of a smile on his face "sometimes, things are not always what they seem. Especially with the government." With that, he walked off, leaving Amanda alone.

She began to move towards her car, trying to process what Billy had said. 'What did he mean? What was he trying to tell me?' Her attention was suddenly drawn to a flock of birds flying from a tree on the edge of the forest surrounding the cemetery. They had been startled by something. Something shaped like a man moving through the trees. When he saw Amanda had seen him, he ran deeper into the woods.

Why she did it, she never knew. She could have been killed. She didn't know who it was, or what they had planned. But she ran after him, clutching Lee's flag to her chest, and moving her legs as fast as she could. When she had entered the forrest, the light was blocked by the foliage, and it was almost impossible for her to make her way through the roots and twigs scattered on the ground. She stopped dead in her tracks when she heard her name.

"Amanda." called a familiar voice. A friendly, familiar, dead voice.

"Lee?" she asked uncertain, following the voice from behind a nearby tree. "Lee, is that you?"

Not answering her with words, he took her in his arms, petting her hair lovingly, holding her waist tight. "You need to stop dying without telling me!" she scolded into his shoulder, letting her happy tears soak his shirt.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I tried to get Billy to give you a message, but he couldn't tell you outright. Not without anyone hearing." He pulled away, so he could look her in the eye when he told her the bad news. "Amanda, I need to go into hiding for a while. I'm not sure when, or if I'll be back, but I thought that you deserved to hear it from me, instead of believing I was dead, or hearing it from Billy."

She stood in shocked silence, not sure what to say.

"I just wanted you to know, that you are my best friend, and that I love you, and that, without you, I would have died a hundred time over. I trust you with my life, and my secrets." He looked over her shoulder and saw a curious observer coming to see what was going on. Lee didn't have much time.

"I have to go." He quickly kissed her cheek, then turned to run into the woods, but stopped when he heard her one more time.

"Lee. Thank you." He smiled, thinking he understood, and ran on. The man who had seen Amanda run into the forest came up behind her.

"Are you alright, lady?" he asked kindly. "I saw ya runnin'"

"I'm OK." She answered meekly. "Everything's going to be just fine."


	15. Ending 3

.:How to Catch a Scarecrow 13.  
Ending #3

October 23, 1985 Dulles Airport

Amanda waited anxiously, wringing her fingers in her sweater, while her boss hid his uneasiness under a forced calmness. The passengers passed through the gates, meeting and hugging loved ones, crying out happiness, or finding a chauffeur with their name on a cardboard sign, and going off to some business meeting. Everyone found the one they were looking for.

When the passengers began to exit the gate at a slower rate, Amanda could feel her hopes began to dwindle. 'What if he didn't come. What if he had been in the airplane when it exploded.' They had never gotten confirmation about what actually happened on the filed where Francine had brought him. The only thing they know was that Francine left Vienna airport on schedule, with another person. Amanda hoped and prayed that it would be Lee.

Finally, the passengers stopped coming. Amanda felt Billy's hand on her arm, and he began to lead her away from the gate. But Amanda refused.

"Just a few more minutes. What if they had problems with security? What if they're just being careful? What if…?" Amanda had to suck in a breath and bite her lip to keep her from sobbing out loud. He wasn't coming.

She turned away, and was about to take Billy's advice and leave, when he suddenly spoke the sweetest words she ever heard.

"Well, I'll be damned. He made it!" Amanda whirled around, and seeing the disheveled, unshaved Scarecrow coming with Francine on his side, she lost all control and ran into his arms.

"Oh, Lee. Lee, you're ok. We were so worried. We weren't sure if you had been killed in the plane. Francine never got to call us, and we didn't know, I was so worried. We only heard that…" her babbling was suddenly interrupted by two strong lips descending on hers. In truth, it was the shock that shut her up first, but after a few seconds, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and sank into, and enjoyed the spontaneous action.

When they parted, they hardly noticed the strange looks given to them by their boss and co-agent, and instead where lost in their own little world.

"What say, we get out of here." He suggested with a playful tone to his voice. Not sure what to think, Amanda just nodded, took his hand, and walked out of the airport.

January 24, 2002 12:04 AM Jamie King residents

"I don't understand" Megan asked, confused. "If everything turned out ok, I mean, after all Lee was ok, and then he and your mom married a while later, why do you keep going to that grave?"

"Don't you get it?" he asked as if she was supposed to know exactly what his problem was. "Because I let myself believe that Lee was a bad guy, Dean died, and Lee almost died. Because of me, my mom could have been miserable for the rest of her life."

"Oh James. You shouldn't base your life on 'what ifs'. Dean got himself killed. Lee didn't die. Your mom is happy. Everything turned out for the best. Honey, you have to stop blaming yourself. It's Dean you go visit every year, isn't it?" she asked, slowly catching on to her husband's pain.

"I guess I go to try to forgive myself. And him. Philip tells me, I shouldn't think about that SOB. That's it not worth my time."

"It sounds like Philip has issues of his own. But I think you're heart's in the right place. You just have to let it go now. It's been a long time." She tried to sooth his chest and calm him down, and as the minutes wore on, it seemed to work.

"I'm tired." He complained like a little kid, not wanting to give up the issue, but wanting to be awake and aware to talk about it.

"OK. Night James. Jamie." She whispered, and kissed him on the lips, and then snuggled into her place, her head pillowed by his arm.

Jamie King slept without nightmares for the first time 17 years.

The End


End file.
